He pointed this out to his officer.
"Better finish them now," he said.
But Marteau shook his head.
"It will take them all day and night to get free at that rate; by that time we will be far away, and it will be too late." "But if they should tell what they have seen ?" "What can they tell?
Only that two Frenchmen fell upon them.

No, let them be.

Set the food on the floor here.

If they get hungry they can roll over toward it and eat it." The gags had been taken out of the mouths of the men.

If they did give the alarm there would be none to hear them, save perhaps a French peasant passing that way, and at his hands they would meet short shrift.
Having stuffed their haversacks full of roast pig, they retraced their steps and reached the edge of the clearing.